Mish Mash Splash

October 26, 2014



Cannon's impression of a wasp's nest.Acrylic 11"x14"



Engineering Insects

 

This wasp’s nest in the corner of my porch awning has been abandoned for a long time. 

 

It was time to bring it in for Cannon’s close scrutiny.  After noting the pattern of hexagons and the variations of gray, white and brown Cannon was ready to start painting. 

 

 

 

 

But first why not bake a wasp’s nest cake a little different from what real wasps build and tastier. It can be baking while Cannon is painting.

Chef Cannon read the recipe and mom helped gather all of the ingredients and equipment needed to engineer our cake nest. 

 Ingredients

• 1 (3 ounce) boxes cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups milk
• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1 (12 ounce) packages butterscotch chips

Directions

1. On the stovetop, mix pudding with milk and bring to a boil.
2. Dump in box of cake mix.
3. Stir and pour into a greased 9x13-inch pan.
4. Sprinkle on butterscotch morsels.
5. Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes.
6. Let cool; serve.

*find the nutrition facts at the end of this blog entry.

Cannon used the wisk to combine the pudding mix and the milk.  He turned the on burner to just the right temperature and I started stirring it on the stove while Cannon set the oven temperature and timer.


Time to get back to that painting project.





 

 

A Wasp Nest Inspired Painting

 

Cannon examines the wasp nest and looks for paints that match the subtle grays and and whites, beiges and browns that he can see in the nest.

 

 

 

 Painting Without a Brush

After Cannon directs the placement of his colors directly on the canvas - each color is placed in three places that would form a triangle. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cannon uses the small printing brayer to roll the paint onto the canvas directing me to turn the canvas at intervals, until the colors blend and the canvas is covered.  The brayer has left some straight lines at different angles.

 

 

Time to let the canvas dry before adding the details.

 

 

 

 

 



The cake is cooling.
 

 

 

 

 Let's Carve the Pumpkin!
Cannon helped cut the top off of the pumpkin and then pulled huge hand-fulls of pumpkin "guts" out until it was as clean as we could get it.

Then it was time to draw the face and cut it out. Should it be scary, funny or silly. 

Yes, he opted for silly.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 More Painting
At last our first layer of paint is dry and now it is time to add some details.  Cannon used his brush to apply paint to a piece of small bubble wrap.  Then he laid the painted wrap paint side down and smoothed it onto the canvas with the large brayer.  When the wrap was pulled off it left behind a pattern of dots very much like the pattern of the wasp's nest.  He repeated this process several times until he was satisfied.

 

 

 


Cannon's impression of a wasp's nest.

 

 

 

Comparing our cake nest to the wasp's nest.
Yum! Time to eat!

 

 

 

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (1438 g) = one whole cake

Servings Per Recipe: 1

Amount Per Serving% Daily Value Calories 4730.3 Calories from Fat 160033%

Amount Per Serving% Daily Value Total Fat 177.8g273%Saturated Fat 102.2g511%Cholesterol 78.8mg26%Sugars 522.4 sodium 4622.5mg192%Total Carbohydrate 739.3g246%Dietary Fiber 6.2g25%Sugars 522.4 g2089%Protein 46.8g93%